Benefits City Year AmeriCorps members receive

We’re excited you’ll be serving as a City Year AmeriCorps member! No matter which of City Year’s 29 sites you may be serving in, we offer an array of benefits to support your year of service and beyond. We’ll help to ensure you understand your benefits, explain how each one can keep you during and after service, and outline how you can access them.

AmeriCorps living stipend

As a City Year AmeriCorps member, you’ll receive a modest, bi-weekly living stipend; this benefit will last the entire term of service. And because the cost of living varies from site to site, the stipend amount will depend on your location.

We know that living on a budget can require careful planning and budgeting. So, here are some tips for planning your money while in service!

Relocation allowance

Transition to service can be challenging—particularly when you’re moving long distances. You’ll have to spend time finding a place to live, setting up utilities, figuring out transportation, etc. All these things take careful logistical planning and money. The expenses you incur when moving can add up pretty quickly.

Though we can’t offset the total cost of moving, we can certainly help. This is why City Year offers a $500 relocation allowance to any confirmed AmeriCorps member who is moving 50 or more miles to start service.

“I moved from Kentucky and had to rent a vehicle to move my furniture. And that pretty much drained my bank account! But with the relocation benefit, I was able to get some of that money back!” – Cameron C., CY Philadelphia AmeriCorps member

The Segal Education Award and Federal Loan Forbearance

As a City Year AmeriCorps member, you are eligible to earn the Segal Education Award at the end of your service year. The award for the current school year is valued at $6,895 and can go towards pursuing college or graduate school, educational travel, or paying off existing, qualified student loans. Some colleges and universities will match your award amount, waive your registration fees, or provide service scholarships.

AmeriCorps members are also eligible to tap to temporarily postpone the repayment of their qualified student loans through an action called Loan Forbearance. It is important to know that with forbearance, interest will continue to accrue. However, if you complete your service, you can apply to pay all or a portion of the interest accrued on your qualified loan.

“The Segal Education Award was one of the many reasons I wanted to serve with City Year. I graduated college with a lot of student loan debt. And I have been able to use this Education Award to pay it down, which helped me to better plan for my future,” says Carly Perez, CY San Antonio ’17.

“During my service year, I was also able to utilize the loan forbearance benefit for my federal student loans. Without those benefits, I wouldn’t have been able to continue my service with City Year.”

Mental health and holistic well-being

Your service days will be long. And there will be times when those days are both long and challenging. When you’re showing up for your students and your teammates day-in and day-out, you can’t forget to show up for yourself. City Year supports corps mental health and well-being through our partnership with TalkSpace. This online therapy platform makes it simple and convenient to connect with licensed therapists via video, text, or phone. AmeriCorps members have access to three free months of services and can access it at any point throughout their service term.

“When I began my service with City Year and learned about the TalkSpace benefit, I decided to give it a try,” says Mina Raj, City Year Milwaukee ’19, ’20.

“It was my first time working full-time and living in a new city, and I realized how important it would be to prioritize my health and well-being to be the best version of myself during service. I had a busy schedule, so messaging my therapist on my own time was helpful. She helped me process some of the challenges I was facing both inside and outside of service and provided me with perspective and tools.”

City Year has several additional tools to support your well-being during your service.

Additional City Year health benefits

In addition to the TalkSpace and the financial benefits of service, City Year also offers health insurance coverage that covers things like:

• Insurance (health, dental, vision)
• Curalinc Employee Assistance Program
• Access to Ten Percent (10%) Happier meditation app
• Benefit Advocate Center

You can access all these benefits as soon as you start service. But if you already have your health insurance or are dependent on someone else’s insurance—no worries—you can choose to stick with that!

Access to exclusive scholarships for City Year alumni

After successfully completing your service, you’ll have access to exclusive scholarships offered to AmeriCorps alums. And City Year’s University Partnerships provides alums access to scholarships for a wide range of programs. You can leverage these scholarships to pursue degrees in:

• Education
• Business
• Non-profit management
• Law
• Medicine and Public Heath
• Counseling and Psychology
• Policy
• Social Work and more!

You can find a comprehensive list of all the benefits and resources offered to City Year AmeriCorps members. There are also many site-specific benefits based on your service location. Make sure to connect with your Service Year Adviser for more information!

Connect with us to learn more about service with City Year, or start your application today: